"The very last thing I am is in any way anti-gay and I said I believe that love is love is love," he said, before explaining that he wasn't talking about people who are persecuted for being gay.

"You'd have to have your head so buried in the sand not to be aware of the fact there are places in the world where it's difficult for people to be who they are. I wouldn't deny that, absolutely...

"Perhaps the point I was trying to make was that sometimes, for older generations, it's been a very different journey to being able to be honest about themselves and they've had to fight for it."

Adding that he's hopeful younger generations don't find labelling their sexuality "an issue", Richard said: "They're not going to be persecuted on the grounds of their sexuality or miss out on opportunities. They can simply be who they are, and that's how the world should be."

In Richard's original interview ahead of The Grand Tour's second season, the presenter claimed that sexuality "wasn't an issue".

"It is so old-fashioned to make a big deal of it. That isn't even an interesting thing to say at a dinner party any more," he offered.

The Grand Tour launches its second season exclusively on Amazon Prime tomorrow (December 8).